This invention relates to a method of, and apparatus for, simultaneously mounting a plurality of electronic components in preassigned positions on a circuit board. The invention is particularly well adaptable for the mounting of cylindrical or tubular electronic components, such as tubular ceramic capacitors without leads, on successive printed circuit boards.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,907,008, issued to Bates et al. on Sept. 23, 1975, reflects conventional practice in mounting electronic components on printed circuit boards. The conventional practice has been to insert the leads of electronic components into and through holes formed in the circuit boards and to solder the leads to the printed circuit patterns on the boards. However, if the components are of the type having a pair of leads extending in the opposite directions therefrom, such leads must be bent for insertion through the holes in the circuit boards. The mounting of the components with the bent leads in objectionable as it necessitates the use of circuit boards larger than they need to be if the components have no such bent leads, resulting in a corresponding increase in the size of the instruments incorporating such circuit boards. This runs counter to the current trend toward the minimization of electronic or electrical instruments.
Recently, therefore, there has been suggested a tubular ceramic capacitor having no leads in the conventional sense. This "leadless" capacitor includes a tubular ceramic body having an inner and an outer electrode formed, thereon. The inner electrode has a portion overlying part of the outer surface of the ceramic body. Thus, as the capacitor is placed on the surface of a circuit board having a conductive pattern printed thereon, its two electrodes can be soldered directly to the conductive pattern.
The direct connection of the electrodes to the circuit pattern makes possible the use of smaller circuit boards, to be built into smaller instruments. Because of the lack of leads, however, certain difficulties have been encountered in positioning the capacitors on, and attaching them to, printed circuit boards. The same difficulties apply, of course, to leadless resistors and other electronic components.